Manor Racing’s Pascal Wehrlein was encouraged by the pace shown during free practice at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Wehrlein ended first practice an impressive 17th position and finished ahead of both Sauber’s and Manor teammate Marcus Ericsson in the second session.
The German’s pace on the medium tyre in FP2 was particularly impressive and could potentially make Q2 in qualifying tomorrow.
The 20-year-old was happy with the day’s running after driving the Bahrain circuit for the first time in his racing career.
“We’ve learned a lot since Melbourne and that was evident in our performance here today. It’s another new circuit for me but I was soon feeling comfortable with the track and able to crack on with the programme.
Wehrlein confirmed MRT spent the majority of the day running on the hardest of the three compounds available, the medium, but hopes to find a lot more time when he uses the supersoft tyre for the first time tomorrow in either FP3 or qualifying itself.
“In these early races it’s all about exploring the car’s behaviour and potential, so we spent a lot of time on the Medium tyre establishing a better starting point for the weekend. The pace on the Soft tyre was encouraging so more of that tomorrow I hope. So far I’m happy!”
Manor teammate Rio Haryanto ended both sessions behind his teammate.
